Mail-delivery apparatus.



No. ,876. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

H. MUUABE. MAIL DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1905.

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No. 816,876. PATENTED APR. 3. 1906.

H. MuGABE.

MAIL DELIVERY-APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30. 1905.

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Attorneys No.816,876. PATENTEDAPRS, 1906. 'H. MQGABE. v

MAIL DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED AUG. 30, 1905.

Witnesses lUlTYED 'rni iurrb.

, WlAIlL -IDELW ERY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed August 30, 1905. Serial No. 276,426.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MOCABE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Arcola, in the county of Douglas and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Mail-Delivery Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to mail-delivery apparatus, and is designed forthe transportation of mails, parcels, and the like through out ruraldistricts, and is arranged to automatically deliver and receivemail-bags and the like at the successive stations along the route.

A further object of the invention is to embody the same in the nature ofan overheadtrolley system, so as to prevent interference therewith bypassing vehicles and the like, and at the same time to enable theconvenient setting of the mail-bags to be taken up by the mail-carryingcar and to obtain the mail-bags which have been delivered from the car.

A still further object of the invention is to insure the proper deliveryof the mail-bags and to preclude the possibility of delivering more thanone bag at each station.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of theapparatus of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view taken transverselythrough the mail-carrying car just after it has passed a station. Fig. 3is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken longitudinally throughthe car.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each andevery figure of the drawings.

The present apparatus includes in general a mail-carrying car A, whichis suspended in an overhead position upon an elevated track or wire B,the latter being supported at suitable intervals by means of a series ofposts, one of which has been shown at 0. Each post is provided with across-arm 1., from the outer end of which depends a substantiallyL-shaped hanger 2, which engages the wire or track B upon its underside, so as to support the same with its upper face unobstructed for thepassage thereacross of the grooved supporting-wheels 3, carried by thehangers 4:, which rise from the top of the car.

The mail-carrying car includes a bottom 5, a roof 6, and sides 7, thelatter being formed by gratings or heavy wire fabric. The bottom of thecar inclines downwardly and rearwardly and the front and rear ends ofthe car are open. The front ends of the sides of the car are bowedinwardly between the sides of the car, so as to form guards or fenders8, and the front edge of the bottom of the car is illclined downwardlyand forwardly, as at 9, between the inner ends of the guard members 8. Alongitudinal opening 10 extends throughout the greater part of the topof the car, and this opening is normally closed by a hinged lid or cover11. The purpose of this opening is to give access to the interior of thecar throughout practically its entire length for loading the same withthe mail-bags at the initial end. of the route.

Within the body of the car are two spaced longitudinally-disposed.conveyers, each conveyer including front and rear upstanding rollers 12and 13, around which passes an endless flexible belt preferablyconsisting of upper and lower belt members 14 and 15, which areconnected by slats 16, having outwardly-directed longitudinal flanges17. Each slat is preferably 111 the nature of an angle-bar with one ofits sides suitably secured to the conveyer-belts. As best indi cated inFig. 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that the respective slats ofthe two conveyers are located opposite one another, so as to form aseries of pockets in the space between the two conveyers, each pocketbeing designed for the reception of a mail-bag 18 or other parcel orpackage to be carried by and delivered from the car. It will here benoted that the two conveyors are spaced so as to receive a mail-bag orthe like through the open front of the car and also to deliver amail-bag through the open rear end thereof. Each upstanding roller isjournaled at its lower end in the bottom of the car, while it has itsupper end journaled in a suitable bracket 19, connected to the adjacentside of the car. Extending between each pair of front and rear bracketsis a bar 20, having a depending flange 21, constituting a guard or guidefor the upper edge of the adjacent conveyer. A similar upstanding guardor guide member 22 is carried by the bottom of the car. To provide foroperating the conveyer, there is a drum or Windlass 23, journaledtransversely across the car above the rear end of the conveyor, one endof the drum or Windlass being projected externally of the car andprovided with a series of crank-arms 24. A rope or cable 25 is woundaround each end portion of the drum or windlass from which it extendsdownwardly and beneath a guide-pulley 26, mounted upon the bottom of thecar and between the plies of the adj acent conveyer, from which the ropeor cable extends rearwardly and is connected to one of the slats of theconveyer, as shown at 27. By rotating the Windlass through manipulationof the crank-arms 24 the cables will be wound upon the drum or Windlass,and the conveyers thereby worked rearwardly, so as to carry themail-bags therewith and successively drop the same through anexit-opening 28, formed in the rear end of the bottom of the car.

At each station of the route there is a post 0 for the support of thetrack B, and each of these posts is provided with means for delivering amail-bag to the car and for receiving a bag from the car. This meansconsists of an upright bar 29, lying loosely against the back of thepost and provided at its upper end and upon what will be termed itsforward side with an arm 30, there being another arm 31 below the arm 30and carried by the rear side of the bar 29, the arms 30 and 31 lying atopposite sides of the post and con stituting a guide for the bar 29 inits up-anddown movements. A weight 32 is carried by the lower end of arope or cable 33, which passes through a guide-opening 34 in the postand is connected to the bar 29, as at 35, whereby the bar is normallyheld in an elevated position and may be drawn downwardly against thepower of the weight. A mail-bag-supporting member 36 projects forwardlyfrom the outer extremity of the upper arm 30, from which is suspendedthe bag to be delivered to the car, said bag being provided at itsopposite ends with duplicate swinging links or bail-shaped hangers 37and 38, one of which is engaged around the member 36 to support the bagin the path of the car in position so as to be received within the openfront end thereof when the car passes the station. The lower arm 31 isprovided at its outer end with a rearwardly-extending mail-bag-catchingelement 39, which is disposed in such a position as to have the car passover the top of the member 39 and the arm 31, whereby the element 39 isdesigned to engage the depending link or hanger of the rearmost mail-bagin the car, and thereby draw the bag out of the car as the latterpasses'the station. The post is also provided with ahorizontally-disposed trip-arm 40, 10-

cated between the arms 30 and 31 and in the path of the uprightcrank-arm 24 of the windlass, which is carried by the car, so that whenthe trip-arm strikes one of the cranks of the Windlass the latter willbe rotated in a direction to move the conveyers simultaneously one stepin a rearward direction, thereby moving the rearmost bag across thedischarge opening 28 in the rear of the bottom of the car, whereupon thelowermost link of the bag will drop down in position for engagement bythe element 39, and thereby be dragged from the car as the latter passesthe station. It will now be understood that provision is made fordelivering mail-bags to the car from the station, and also from the carto the station, in a very simple and positive manner. After the car haspassed the station the bar 29 is drawn downwardly, as in Fig. 2,so as tobring the lower arm 31 into accessible position for removing therefromthe mail-bag which has been delivered from the car.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. An automaticmail-delivery apparatus comprising a track-supported car which is openat opposite ends, a pair of spaced conveyers working longitudinallywithin the car and provided with corresponding slats cooperating to formmail-bag-receiving pockets, operating means for actuating the conveyers,and a trip for controlling the operating means.

2. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combination of a track-supportedcar which is open at opposite ends and provided with a longitudinalbifurcation in the rear end of its bottom, a pair of spaced longitudinalconveyers within the car at opposite sides of the bifurcation, means forworking the adjacent sides of the conveyers toward the rear of the car,and a trip for controlling the conveyeroperating means.

3. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combination of a track-supportedcar which is open at its opposite ends and is provided with abifurcation in the rear end of its bottom, a pair of spacedlongitudinally-disposed conveyers at opposite sides of the bifurcation,a delivery-receptacle adapted to be carried through the car by andbetween'the conveyers and provided at its lower end with a bail capableof depending through the bifurcation in the bottom of the car, means foroperating the conveyers, a stationary trip for actuating theconveyer-operating means, and a stationary catcher disposed forengagement with the link of the receptacle when depending through thebifurcation in the bottom of the car.

4. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combination of a track-supportedcar which is open at opposite ends, a pair of spaced conveyers withinthe car, a Windlass disposed transversely across the conveyers, cableconeieere nections between the Windlass and the respective conveyors, aseries of crank-arms carried by the Windlass externally of the ear, anda stationary trip disposed for engaging one of the crank-arms to operatethe conveyers.

5. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combination with a track-supportedcar, a pair of spaced longitudinallydisposed conveyors within the car,each conveyor comprising front and rear upstanding rollers, a flexibleendless belt running around the rollers, upper and lowerlongitudinally-disposed. guides for the inner ply of the conveyer,conveyer-operating means, and a stationary trip for actuating saidoperating means.

6. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combination with a track-supportedcar which is open. at opposite ends and is provided with a longitudinalbifurcation in the rear end of its bottom, a pair of spacedlongitudin.ally-disposed conveyers extending from the front to the rearof the car and disposed at opposite sides of the bifurcation, eachincluding up standing front and rear rollers, an endless flexible beltrunning around the rollers slats carried transversely by the belt, andupper and lower longitudiiial guides for the inner ply of the conveyer,the slats of the two conveyers being disposed in alinement to formpockets between the conveyors, a Windlass mounted transversely acrossthe tops of the rear end portions of the conveyers, cable connectionsbetween the windlass and the re spective conveyors, crank-arms carriedby the Windlass externally of the ear, and. a stationary trip located inthe path of the crankarms.

7. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combination with a track-supportedcar open at opposite ends, of a support independent of the car, adelivery member carried by the support and provided with means forholding a mail-bag in position to enter the open front of the car whenthe latter passes the support, and a mail-catching element carried bythe support beneath the ear in position. to catch a bag at the rear endof the car.

8. In a 1nail-delivery apparatus, the combination with atraclr-suprmrtecl car which is open at opposite ends and is providedwith a longitudinal bifurcation in the rear end of its bottom, ofspaced. conveyors working longitudinally within the car at oppositesides of the bifurcation, conveyor-operating means, a stationary tripfor actuating the conveyeroperating means, a series ofdelivery-receptacles provided at their upper and lower ends withswinging bails and. capable of being carried through the car by andbetween the conveyers, the lower bails capable of dropping through thebifurcation. in the bottom of the car, a stationary delivery elementhaving means for supporting one of the delivery devices by its upperbail in position to be reccivedv Within the open front of the car, and astationary mail-catcher disposed to engage the bail of adelivery-receptacle which depends through the bifurcation in the bottomof the car.

9. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combin ation with a track-supportedcar, of a stationary support, a vertically-movable carrier mounted uponthe support and yieldably held in an elevated position, upper and lowerarms mounted upon the carrier and disposed to have the car passtherebetween, one of the arms being provided with a catcher, and theother one being provided with a delivery element.

10. In a mail-delivery apparatus, the combination with a track-suprmrtedcar, of a stationary support, a vertically movable carrier mounted uponthe support, a counterbalancing-Weight connected to the carrier, upperand lower arms connected to the carrier and disposed to have the eartravel therebetween, one of the arms being provided with a catcher, andthe other having a deliv ery element.

1].. Ina mail-delivery apparatus, the combination with a stationary posthaving a cross-head, of an overhead track supported by the cross-head, acar mounted to travel upon the track and open at opposite ends, aconveyer working in the car from front to rear thereof,conveyor-operating means, a trip carried by the post'for actuating theconveyer-operating means, a vertically-movable carrier yieldablysupported in an elevated position, upper and lower substantiallyhorizontal arms connected to the carrier and disposed to have the cartravel therebetwecn, a catcher carried by the lower arm, and a deliveryelement carried by the upper arm.

In. testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have here to al'lixed my signature in the presence of two'witnesses.

HENRY l\:loCABE.

Witnesses J'. E, ALLIsoN, En l mreniin.

